Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Hawaii Leads Nation in Making Welfare More Attractive than Work
By Grassroot Institute @ 1:37 AM :: 8141 Views :: Hawaii Statistics, Labor

Hawaii Leads Nation in Making Welfare More Attractive than Work

Grassroot Institute President Akina calls for strengthening system to improve employment incentive

News Release from Grassroot Institute

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- August 19, 2013 -- Hawaii leads the nation in making welfare more attractive than work according to a recent report by the CATO Institute. The white paper report "The Work Versus Welfare Trade-off: 2013" says:

  • Hawaii ranks first among the fifty states in several categories which produce a disincentive for welfare recipients to leave welfare or reduce their benefits for employment.
  • An average Hawaii welfare recipient would need to earn $60,590 in pre-tax wages in order to earn the equivalent of his or her welfare benefits.
  • Hawaii also ranked first in the hourly wage equivalent of welfare benefits per recipient with an average of $29.13.

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a public policy think tank, is making the report available to Hawaii policy makers and businesses.

According to Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, "The CATO report does not suggest that Hawaii's welfare recipients are lazy or lack a desire to work.  Rather, it pinpoints the problem that our state has created a system which rewards people for not working.  This interferes with the functioning of a healthy economy in which a growing labor sector is a key factor in productivity and economic vitality." Grassroot Institute and the CATO Institute are affiliated with the State Policy Network's coalition of free market think tanks.

The CATO study also shows that Hawaii is ranked number one in the nation for providing welfare recipients with a cash-value of benefits that exceeds the median entry-level salaries of teachers, secretaries and computer-programmers. 

Dr. Akina further states, "In a state facing unsustainable levels of unfunded liabilities for pensions and health-care, we should be looking for ways to put as many people to work as possible."

A full-copy of The CATO report, entitled "The Work Versus Welfare Trade-off: 2013," may be found at http://bit.ly/GRIHCatoReportHI

###  

About the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii:

Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, the free market, and limited, accountable government throughout Hawai`i and the Asia-Pacific region.  Read more about us at http://www.grassrootinstitute.org/

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GrassrootInstitute 

Donate to help us grow: http://tinyurl.com/GrassrootDonate 

Tweet us at http://twitter.com/grassroothawaii 

About Keli'i Akina:

Dr. Akina is a recognized scholar, educator, public policy spokesperson, and community leader. In2012, he was a candidate for the non-partisan position of Trustee in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  Akina has decades-long experience leading non-profit organizations including Youth for Christ Hawai`i and the Center for Tomorrow's Leaders. An expert in East-West Philosophy, he has taught at universities in China and the United States, and continues as an adjunct instructor at Hawai`i Pacific University and the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. Read more: http://bit.ly/AkinaBioInfo

About CATO:

In 1995, the Cato Institute published a groundbreaking study, The Work vs. Welfare Trade-Off, which estimated the value of the full package of welfare benefits available to a typical recipient in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since then, however, many welfare programs have undergone significant change. A new, updated version of this study examines the current welfare system in the same manner as the 1995 paper, and finds that welfare benefits continue to outpace the income that most recipients can expect to earn from an entry-level job.

"The Work versus Welfare Trade-Off: 2013," by Michael D. Tanner and Charles Hughes

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii